Black Mission

About

Black Mission (also called ‘Franciscana’) is a heritage fig with Spanish mission roots, brought to California in the late 18th century. It bears dark purple-black fruit with intensely sweet, strawberry-pink flesh — among the richest flavours of any fig. The tree is vigorous, long-lived, and can grow quite large if left unpruned.

Growing Notes

• Needs long, hot summers to develop its best flavour; ideal for Mediterranean and warm-temperate climates.
• Very drought-tolerant once established — one of its best traits.
• Can grow to 6–9 m tall; regular pruning keeps it manageable and improves yields.
• Less cold-hardy than Brown Turkey; protect below −5 °C (23 °F).
• Produces a main crop only (no reliable breba crop in cooler areas).

My Notes

Started from a cutting received from a neighbour. Currently about 1.2 m tall and in its first full growing season in the ground. No fruit yet, but the growth has been impressive — almost doubled in height this summer. Looking forward to the first proper harvest.